Cievel Xicohtencatl (she/her/hers) is a cultural organizer and multidisciplinary artist that lives and works in New York on the land of the Lenape People.
Remaining Connected: Urban Omnibus
We hear from the LP’s Hatuey Ramos-Fermín, Cievel Xicohtencatl and Erica Rawles about the challenges of moving in and meeting the neighbors in the short term, and how they are working to build a shared vision with their community for the next ten years.
The Nonprofit That Puts Art Inside Laundromats (And Wherever Else People Are)
Read Next City’s story on The Laundromat Project’s move to Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. “There’s this opportunity of being embedded in place that offers you a chance to build deeper trust, be held accountable to people and a neighborhood,” says community engagement manager Cievel Xicohtencatl, who worked closely within the Kelly Street Collaborative. Over five years, local…
CIEVEL XICOHTENCATL
pronounced (See-ah-velle She-koh-ten-cal)
As a first generation Mexican American, her personal work often explores themes of indigenous identity and culture. Professionally, Xicohtencatl counts with five years experience in cultural production as an arts administrator and educator working at the intersection of socially engaged art, public programming and cultural organizing. She is currently investigating methods for fostering community power through her role as the Community Engagement Manager at The Laundromat Project.
In 2011 she helped found MRD (Mexicanos de Rostro Desconocido) Arts Collective. MRD was a collective that established arts workshops and classes free of charge to local communities of NYC. Xicohtencatl looks for community engaging platforms that use arts and education as a tool for empowerment and social change. Xicohtencatl has worked at a variety of NYC cultural institutions like El Museo del Barrio, Friends of the High Line and The Laundromat Project.
Xicohtencatl was a Fellow at the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture in 2020 and is current Fellow at New York Community Trust, learning more about non-profit management. She has also served on review panels for Art in Public Places for the City of Austin, Texas. She completed a BA in Studio Art from CUNY Hunter College in 2014 and is currently the Community Engagement Manager at The Laundromat Project in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Currently Working On:
For more, please visit Work Samples
Experience
Community Engagement Manager at The Laundromat Project (2018 – Present)
Developed Community Engagement department and responsible for planning and facilitation of core community building programs and neighborhood engagement strategies based on relationship building
Community Engagement Coordinator at Friends of the High Line (2016 – 2018)
Was responsible for relationship building with local residents, community based groups, corporate partners, elected officials and local government agencies.
Public Programs & Education Assistant at El Museo del Barrio (2014 – 2016)
Served as museum educator and administrator for Public Programs. Assisted with the museum’s external partnerships while supporting with curriculum planning and program facilitations.
